Francisco López de Zárate: "The Raising of the Cross"
Introduction Francisco López de Zárate was born in Logroño, in northern Spain, the son of a postman. He first began studying Law at Salamanca, in 1598, but abandoned his studies to join the army, fighting in Flanders, Italy, and Germany. After his military service, he served as secretary of state for the Duke of Lerma, though his austere moral character did not fit in well with political intrigue. While based in Madrid, he often retired to Logroño for a calm spot to write. He wrote both poems and dramas, and was praised by great writers of his day like Lope de Vega (1562-1635) and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616). Not long after writing his Poema heróico de la invención de la Cruz , in 1648, he suffered a stroke and remained paralyzed on his right side for the rest of his life. He died on Madrid, on March 5, 1658. Though praised by writers of his day, known as "the Cavalier of the Rose," after one of his sonnets, he is little-known now. He wrote many...